Investigation of the effects of hypoxia on SH-SY5Y cells on graphene oxi̇de sheets

In the central nervous system (CNS), neurons are highly sensitive to the availability of oxygen. If oxygen availability is decreased, neurons can degenerate. Degeneration in neurons leads to injury and cell death. Hypoxia is involved in several CNS pathologies, including stroke, head trauma, neoplasia, vascular malformations and neurodegenerative diseases. Graphene is one of the remarkable nano structured materials studied so far. In our earlier study, we investigated the effects of L-glutamine stress on B35 cells seeded on GO and glass surfaces. Due to its unique electrical properties, we hypothesized that GO might be used in potential treatments for regulating neural cell behavior in CNS degeneration. In this study, to demonstrate the effects of hipoxia on SH-SY5Y cells seeded on GO surfaces, GO powder was coated onto glass slides as a thin film. SHSY5Y neuroblastoma cell line was seeded on GO sheets, Seeded cells on only glass slides were used as the control group. 10 µM retinoic acid was used for neuronal differentiation. Cells were incubated at hypoxic (3% O2) conditions in a hypoxia chamber and in normoxic (21% O2) condition in a normal incubator for five days. Cell viability was shown by MTT test. Morphologies of cells were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and actin staining. According to MTT results, neurons were more resistant to hypoxia on GO sheets; actin staining and SEM images confirmed the MTT results. The results of this study demonstrated that GO may have a potential use for treatment in hypoxia stress.